Category: Soups and Salads

White Bean Tuscan Soup

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This is a wonderful winter soup that is full of flavor.  If desired, remove the prosciutto and add vegetable stock for a vegetarian dish!

What You’ll Need:

1/2 pound dried cannellini beans

½ pound dried white beans

2 ounces prosciutto, thinly sliced

1 yellow onion, quartered lengthwise

1 celery stalk, quartered crosswise

1 carrot, quartered crosswise

1 leek

2 cloves garlic, peeled and lightly crushed

1 bay leaf

Fresh sage leaf

Fresh thyme sprig

Fresh oregano bundle

Fresh rosemary sprig

1 quart chicken stock

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup parmesan cheese, freshly grated

Sea salt, finely ground

What to Do:

Rinse the beans.  Then, in a large bowl, soak cannellini and white beans overnight.

In a large pot, place rinsed beans and add cold water to cover beans (should be about 2 inches above beans).  Bring to a boil, cover and remove from heat. Let stand for about 20 minutes, then drain.

In a sauté pan, sauté leeks and onions with a little bit of olive oil. Add celery, carrot, garlic and an herb bundle; sage, thyme, oregano and rosemary, tied together or with a cooking band.

Combine sautéed mixture to drained bean pot and add the prosciutto. Pour chicken stock over beans and add additional water until beans are covered, or about 2 inches above beans.  Over medium-low heat, slowly bring pot to a simmer. Adjust heat to maintain a bare simmer and cook, uncovered, until beans are almost tender, or about 20 minutes. Add salt to taste and continue to cook until beans are tender, up to about 20 minutes longer. Remove pot from heat and allow soup to cool.

Remove herb bundle. Strain the beans and other solids through a sieve, reserving the broth.

In a food processor, add the drained beans. Purée the bean mixture in batches; using 3 1/2 cups of cooking broth and 2 tablespoons of olive oil while processing. Using a rubber spatula, push the solids and continue to puree until soup becomes smooth in consistency. If too thick add additional broth stock.

Return pureed soup to pot and simmer until heated through. Ladle into soup bowls and top with Parmesan cheese and crostini, serve and enjoy.

Crostini

6 slices country-style bread, ¾-inch thick

Extra virgin olive oil

Sea salt, finely ground

First, preheat stovetop grill pan.

Place bread slices on grill pan in a single layer; toast until each side is crisp and has grill marks, or about 6 minutes. Remove from pan and lightly brush with olive oil and season lightly with salt. Let cool.

You can also toast bread in a 500 degree oven on a baking sheet.

Enjoy! Serves 6.

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